Every parliamentary written question tabled by Wendy Morton this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 621–640 of 1,873 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies on Pakistan of the findings of the 2025 Global Slavery Index.
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Russian mercenary groups operating in Mali on efforts to counter Islamist insurgencies; and what potential implications this has for the UK’s wider strategy towards countering Russian influence operations on the African continent.
The continued terrorist fuel blockade is deeply concerning for Mali, and for the wider region, and we condemn its impact on civilians. The Foreign Secretary wrote to Foreign Minister Diop on 6 November, and the Minister for International Development and Africa spoke to him on 10 November, encouraging him to cooperate closely with all West African partners to address this shared challenge.The UK works with Malian institutions and society to address fragility and support regional stability. Last year, we invested over £35 million in Mali through our regional overseas development assistance programmes. This year, we plan to spend £170 million in the Sahel region, to address the drivers of conflict and provide humanitarian support.On 30 October, we advised British nationals to leave Mali urgently by commercial means. No British nationals have requested support during this period, but our consular assistance remains available around the clock, and we continue to update Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Travel Advice as necessary.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Pakistani counterpart on tackling bonded labour and other forms of modern slavery.
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what programmes her Department (a) funds and (b) supports to help improve access to education for children working in bonded labour in Pakistan.
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) 25% of British International Investment’s new investments support gender equality and (b) 30% are directed to climate finance.
Future capital funding for British International Investment (BII) will be determined as part of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's (FCDO) resource allocation process, ensuring that the ODA budget delivers against the full range of FCDO development priorities. The FCDO holds BII to account for delivery of its strategy through detailed governance arrangements, including quarterly and annual shareholder meetings.
What steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the West Midlands facing increases in energy and regulatory costs.
The Government is committed to lowering operating costs for all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including those in the West Midlands.Government is helping support businesses to lower their energy costs through energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Recent research from the Willow Review highlights that SMEs adopting sustainability initiatives are reaping the financial rewards.The Government is also committed to ensuring the allocation of energy costs is fair to all consumers, including SMEs. As part of this, Ofgem have launched a Cost Allocation and Recovery Review (CARR) to consider how energy system costs can be recovered from consumers, including from SMEs, in a fairer and more efficient way. DESNZ will continue to engage closely with Ofgem on the work.
What steps he is taking to increase GP appointment availability in the West Midlands; and what assessment he has made of primary care staffing levels in Walsall.
West Midlands sits within the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) where appointment availability in general practice (GP) has increased by 13.8% in September 2025 compared to the same period last year. In October 2024, we invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to give additional flexibilities to recruit 2,500 new GPs into primary care networks across England. We have invested an additional £1.1 billion into GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 GPs across England to deliver 8.3 million more appointments each year.As of 30 September 2025, Walsall has seen an increase of 17.4 full-time equivalent GPs compared to September 2024. The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the ICBs across England. In 2024/25, there were 57 dentists per 100,000 population in the Black Country ICB, which includes the Walsall constituency. This is above average, compared to a national average of 50 dentists per 100,000 people in England.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the territorial expansion of Jamat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin across the Sahel on the group’s capacity to destabilise neighbouring states, disrupt regional supply lines, and undermine international security efforts in West Africa.
The continued terrorist fuel blockade is deeply concerning for Mali, and for the wider region, and we condemn its impact on civilians. The Foreign Secretary wrote to Foreign Minister Diop on 6 November, and the Minister for International Development and Africa spoke to him on 10 November, encouraging him to cooperate closely with all West African partners to address this shared challenge.The UK works with Malian institutions and society to address fragility and support regional stability. Last year, we invested over £35 million in Mali through our regional overseas development assistance programmes. This year, we plan to spend £170 million in the Sahel region, to address the drivers of conflict and provide humanitarian support.On 30 October, we advised British nationals to leave Mali urgently by commercial means. No British nationals have requested support during this period, but our consular assistance remains available around the clock, and we continue to update Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Travel Advice as necessary.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that future capital funding for British International Investment does not adversely impact other areas of the Official Development Assistance budget.
Future capital funding for British International Investment (BII) will be determined as part of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's (FCDO) resource allocation process, ensuring that the ODA budget delivers against the full range of FCDO development priorities. The FCDO holds BII to account for delivery of its strategy through detailed governance arrangements, including quarterly and annual shareholder meetings.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help reduce the use of bonded labour in Pakistan’s brick kiln industry.
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.
What steps he is taking to support the expansion of Pharmacy First services in areas with GP access pressures.
The Government is committed to providing more services in the community, closer to people’s homes. The 10-Year Health Plan is clear that we need to do things differently with more integrated neighbourhood health services, shifting care from hospital to community and from treatment to prevention.Community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service, as the 10-Year Health Plan brings healthcare to high streets as part of a shift in care to the community. This includes exploring ways to expand the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians as we continue to embed the Pharmacy First service.We continue to promote Pharmacy First to increase public awareness and engagement. This has included the recent national media campaign to promote the service, as well as coordinated communications across the healthcare system. Action is also being taken to increase referrals into Pharmacy First, with targeted engagement with integrated care boards, general practice stakeholders, and the community pharmacy sector to encourage and improve the referral pathways to support better access for patients.For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. There is also additional funding available for pharmacies delivering Pharmacy First consultations and flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending the blockade affecting Mali to other essential goods on civilian populations; and whether the Government is providing, or planning to provide, support to assist vulnerable communities in Mali and the surrounding region.
The continued terrorist fuel blockade is deeply concerning for Mali, and for the wider region, and we condemn its impact on civilians. The Foreign Secretary wrote to Foreign Minister Diop on 6 November, and the Minister for International Development and Africa spoke to him on 10 November, encouraging him to cooperate closely with all West African partners to address this shared challenge.The UK works with Malian institutions and society to address fragility and support regional stability. Last year, we invested over £35 million in Mali through our regional overseas development assistance programmes. This year, we plan to spend £170 million in the Sahel region, to address the drivers of conflict and provide humanitarian support.On 30 October, we advised British nationals to leave Mali urgently by commercial means. No British nationals have requested support during this period, but our consular assistance remains available around the clock, and we continue to update Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Travel Advice as necessary.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has assessed trends in the level of child exploitation in Pakistan’s brick kiln sector.
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of (a) modern-day slavery and (b) bonded labour in the brick kiln, agriculture and domestic service sectors in Pakistan.
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November to question 91957.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has considered allowing British International Investment to borrow to invest.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 20 March to Question 38518.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve outcome-based reporting across official development assistance programmes.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the evidence provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to the inquiry by the International Development Committee into the FCDO's Approach to Value for Money in Official Development Assistance, published on 29 October, and available here: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/142772/default/.
What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of retail crime in the West Midlands; and what steps her Department is taking to support local police forces to help tackle (a) persistent and (b) organised shop theft.
Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level. There were 33,363 shoplifting offences recorded by West Midlands police in the year ending June 2025, a 28% increase on the previous year. Nationally shop theft increased by 13% on the previous year. We are ensuring the right powers are in place. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We are also removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously. Additionally, we are providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders. Tackling retail crime requires a partnership approach between policing representatives and business. The previous Minister for Crime and Policing launched the ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy’, which was jointly developed by the police and industry and aims to provide a collaborative and evidence-based approach to preventing retail crime, including organised shop theft. The Police Funding Settlement of £200 million will support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood personnel.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to review aid spending channels to ensure a greater proportion reaches frontline, locally-led development organisations.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the evidence provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to the inquiry by the International Development Committee into the FCDO's Approach to Value for Money in Official Development Assistance, published on 29 October, and available here: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/142772/default/.
What steps she is taking to support local enforcement action against illegal off-road bikes and antisocial vehicle use in the West Midlands.
Tackling criminality and anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission to take back our streets.Our Crime and Policing Bill will give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles used for anti-social behaviour including street racing, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing the vehicles.The Government has also consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose in quicker time of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially and ridden without insurance or a driving licence.Combined, these actions will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and illegally by sending a clear message to would be offenders and to communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of discharges late on Friday evenings on the safeguarding and wellbeing of patients.
Every acute hospital has access to a multi-disciplinary care transfer hub, where National Health Service and social care professionals manage discharges and arrange appropriate support packages for patients, so they receive the services they need upon their discharge. As set out in the statutory guidance on hospital discharge and community support, these teams should ensure that any safeguarding concerns have been considered alongside other support needs.